Issue invoices and record payments, credits and refunds
Updated . Written by the ProgresslyAI team from the current product. Examples use invented records.
Student invoices in ProgresslyAI are records. They show what a student was charged and what your school received, credited or returned, but they never collect or send money. Families pay you however you already accept payment, and a school owner records it. Only owners can see Student invoices.
Quick answer: in Student invoices, choose a student, enter a description, amount, currency and due date, and select Issue invoice. When money arrives, choose Payment received, enter the amount and a unique reference, and select Record payment.
Step 1: Issue an invoice
- Go to Student invoices.
- Choose a student, enter a description such as "September tuition" (up to 500 characters), the amount, the currency and a due date.
- Select Issue invoice.
Each invoice has one charge and an automatic number such as INV-000014. Supported currencies are USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD and PKR. If the page reports that an earlier request may already have created the invoice, review existing invoices before starting a separate one; issuing the same request twice does not create a duplicate.
Step 2: Record what happened
On the invoice, choose one of these and enter an amount and a reference:
| Option | Use it when | Limit | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment received | Money arrived by transfer, cash or another tool | Up to the amount still due. Shown only while something is due | A unique payment reference |
| Reduce charge (credit) | The student owes less, for example a cancelled lesson | Up to the remaining charge | A unique reference and a reason |
| Refund already returned | You have already sent money back | Up to the money still held | A unique refund reference |
Select Record payment, Record credit or Record refund. Credits cannot be edited or removed. Recording the same reference with the same details again does not record it twice.
How balances and statuses are calculated
- Charge = invoice amount minus credits
- Retained = payments received minus refunds
- Due = charge minus retained, never below zero
- Refund due = retained minus charge, never below zero
| Status | When |
|---|---|
| issued | Nothing received yet |
| partial | Some money retained, less than the charge |
| paid | Retained equals the charge |
| credited | Credits reduced the charge to zero and nothing is retained |
| refund due | You hold more than the charge |
| void | Voided before any payment or credit |
There is no overdue status, late fee or reminder. Use the due date to follow up yourself.
Worked example: a $50 invoice (synthetic)
| Action | Charge | Retained | Due | Refund due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue $50.00 for September group classes | $50.00 | $0.00 | $50.00 | $0.00 | issued |
| Payment received $20.00, ref BT-0911 | $50.00 | $20.00 | $30.00 | $0.00 | partial |
| Payment received $30.00, ref BT-0918 | $50.00 | $50.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | paid |
| Credit $12.50, reason "cancelled class 26 Sept" | $37.50 | $50.00 | $0.00 | $12.50 | refund due |
| Refund already returned $12.50, ref RF-0930 | $37.50 | $37.50 | $0.00 | $0.00 | paid |
The credit reduced what the student owes. Because the family had already paid in full, the school then held $12.50 too much, so the invoice showed refund due until the owner recorded the refund they had made by bank transfer.
Credit or refund?
Use a credit when the amount owed changes. Use a refund only to record money you have already given back. A credit on an unpaid invoice simply lowers the amount due; no refund is needed. A refund on its own does not lower the charge, so after a refund without a credit, the refunded amount is due again.
Void an invoice
Select Void invoice to cancel an invoice issued by mistake. You can void only while no payment or credit has been recorded. After that, use a credit instead.
Print and share
Select Print invoice / save PDF, then Print / save PDF to print or save from your browser. Each credit has its own Print credit note link showing the reason. Verified parents linked to the student see the same invoices, balances and transaction history in the family portal and can print them too.
Troubleshooting
"Payment exceeds the remaining balance." You entered more than is due. Record the amount due, or add a credit first if the charge was wrong.
"Credit exceeds the remaining invoice charge." The credit is larger than what is left to charge.
"Refund exceeds the funds still held for this invoice." You can only refund money recorded as received and not already refunded.
"Give a reason for reducing the charge (up to 500 characters)." Credits need a reason; it appears on the credit note.
An instructor cannot find invoices. Student invoices are available to owners only.